Earthquake jolts five provinces in Costa Rica

A magnitude-5.3 tremor, its epicenter in the province of Cartago, shook various cities across Costa Rica at 6:25 p.m. Wednesday.

The University of Costa Rica’s Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (RSN) reported that the epicenter was located two kilometers east of Capellades, a community northwest of Cartago.

People on social media reported the quake as “very strong and very long” in several cantons of Cartago, Heredia, Alajuela, Limón and the capital San José.

The National University’s Volcanological Observatory of Costa Rica (OVSICORI) reported at least four aftershocks of smaller magnitudes. The first one, a magnitude-3.3, occurred at 6:33 p.m., followed by a 2.6 at 6:49 p.m., a 4.6 at 7:05 p.m, and a 2.9 at 7:20 p.m.

Red Cross officials told Channel 7 Telenoticias that they received two alerts of damage at homes east of Cartago.

The RSN reported that there have been more than 250 tremors during November.